CEDA Who?
by CEDA's side
Summary: Abandoned by CEDA, they now have a chance to pursue their own goals; search for survivors in the rotting city. Hidden schemes are revealed as they make their way to potential survivor hold outs... Rated T because of the subject matter.
1. Chapter 1

**First Fanfic**, **doing it from the perspective of an abandoned CEDA squad. I think Valve left it pretty wide open story wise. Doing a "Return to Mercy City" **

**kinda thing. Yeah, I know the weapons aren't very Left 4 Dead-ish, oh well. Horton and his squad are no longer bound to CEDA's agenda, so now they begin **

**searching for survivors...  
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**Left 4 Dead, CEDA, and Mercy City/hospital courtesy of Valve, OC's property of author.  
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Chapter One: City Streets

CEDA had left them behind just like everyone else. They were on their own in the middle of a global meltdown. It was doubtful that they were the last active squad in the city, CEDA cared little for their "grunts".

"What now captain?" asked Nash.

"Our objective is no longer evacuation. This is now search and rescue and exfiltration out of the city. You all know what we're dealing with here so stay quiet and move fast." replied Horton.

"Search and rescue who, sir?"

"Any survivors we can find."

The five of them: Horton, Nash, Evans, Bradley, and Reynolds moved down the street with stunning speed, after all they were in full tactical gear. Mercy city was ravaged and the undead threat was now at its peak. The virus strain anomaly, the "specials" were turning up more frequently. The "common" infected were scarce on this street but it must have been one of a kind.

"We're going to the Mercy public library. Maybe there's some survivors holed up there." Said Horton. The others nodded. The night was very dark over Mercy city but the men had little trouble seeing in it thanks to their night vision goggles. Horton took point armed with an M4 and a Glock 18 followed by Nash wielding the same Rifle and a USP. Evans came next with a P90 and a P30. Bradley followed Evans armed with a G36C and a M9 and lastly came Reynolds with a GOL Sniper Magnum and a MP7. All their weapons, excluding Reynolds' Rifle, bore silencers. They were sticking to the streets unless otherwise necessary to move faster, the infected tended not to notice the men unless they ventured too closely.

They turned the corner onto another street to discover that it was crawling with infected. Horton pointed at an alleyway on the left side of the street, opposite the side on which they stood. They moved swiftly towards it, minding the gap between them and the undead. They reached the alley and put their backs against the wall. The faint sound of weeping could be heard. Horton peaked around the corner and saw that a witch sat in the middle of the alleyway sobbing; its dreadful claws gleamed in the menacing moonlight.

"We've got a witch." Said Horton. He surveyed the area and saw a two story apartment building across the street. "Reynolds, take point in the second story window with a good vantage of the alleyway, Evans go with him. Once you two are set, signal and take out that witch. We will provide support from the alley once she is neutralized, understood?" Horton whispered.

"Understood" they replied collectively. Reynolds and Evans made their way into the apartment building quietly, closing the doors behind them. They were soon seen in the window setting up for the shot. Reynolds signaled and took his shot hitting the witch in the head. The crying ceased. The infected in the street, alerted by the thunderous gunshot, turned towards the building suddenly, as one stirred from deep thought. Presently, they sprinted towards the living.

Horton, Nash, and Bradley filed into the alleyway and, turning to face the apartment building, Horton and Nash readied themselves. Horton kneeled and Nash aimed over him while Bradley covered their six. With short and controlled trigger pulls, they dispatched the undead calmly. In the apartment building room, little went on except for some pounding on the walls of the infected who were still in the building. Evans covered the door which presently still stood strong. The three in the alley burned through a clip fast. They were aiming for the head but it was not necessary to kill them, merely to conserve ammo. Reynolds peered out of the window after the gunfire ceased and signaled "Clear". Just as the two in the window were leaving, Reynolds did a double take and looked through his scope.

"Hold it!" Reynolds voice came through their in-helmet radios

"What do you see, Reynolds?" Asked Horton.

"Incoming tank, about a klick West of us."

"Understood. You two stay put, evade at all costs. Nash, Bradley, on me."

Horton lead the two further into the alley which lead to a bigger alleyway, the one they were in was a sub-alley of sorts. They turned the corner and put their backs against the wall, standard procedure. Horton maintained eyes on Reynolds, peaking around the corner while the other two watched the many branching exits. The ground began rumbling lightly as the hulking, muscle-bound thing approached. It was not apparent where the monster was going or why it even came this way, presumably the gunshot. It went past quickly, not noticing the men to their relief, although they waited for it to be out of sight before moving.

"Clear." Reynolds said over the radio.

Horton then signaled to regroup on him. Upon rejoining the three in the alleyway, the five made their way to the next street, Horton taking point. Presently, they arrived at the library shortly after the alleyway fight. They now stood at the steps of the grand building; the architecture was decidedly Grecian. After a quick sweep of the perimeter, the squad came back to the entrance and prepared to enter.

"Evans, take point. Watch your corners" Ordered Horton. Nash and Bradley opened the doors quietly and Evans crept in, taking slow steps. Horton followed with the rest behind him, Bradley being at the rear. The interior was what one would expect; many rows of books. The path lay clear in front of them with 4 columns on either side of them extending backwards, each pair of bookshelves were divided by a small walkway. The clerk's desk was positioned at their immediate left, the front of the building.

"Evans and Reynolds, you two take the left and sweep right. We'll take the right and sweep left. Meet at the rear of the building and report." Commanded Horton. They nodded and sprang into action.

They moved quickly, sweeping through rooms and bookshelves alike on the sides of the main building. Evans came to a door, Reynolds was busy moving through the bookshelves. He slowly opened the door, peering through into the small space. It appeared to be some sort of study room having desks strewn about the room with books opened and laying atop them. Common infected also resided inside.

"Reynolds, got contact here." Evans said over the radio. Reynolds arrived shortly and, tapping Evans' shoulder, they stormed the room quietly, dispatching the zombies with deadly efficiency. As they cleared the room, a guttural growl was heard followed by a piercing shriek. Evans turned quickly to face the source of the sound to see a hooded figure poised to pounce. He quickly shouldered his weapon but the hideous thing leaped with inhuman agility before he could get a shot off. Evans crouched, pivoted and shot it while it soared through the air. The hunter went limp, crashing into the wall violently and falling to the floor.

"Nice kill." Reynolds said, kneeling to inspect the hunter. "Wow, hold on. Take a look at this."

Evans walked over to the body and knelt down next to Reynolds.

"This guy's CEDA..." Said Evans as he grabbed the ID off the corpse. "I thought all CEDA personnel received the immunization vaccine."

"So did I." Replied Reynolds.

Evans pocketed the ID and they continued sweeping the left area of the library.

"Evans, Reynolds, give me a report." Said Horton.

"All clear except for one room. Several common and one hunter attacked us. They've been neutralized and we recovered this from the hunter's body." Evans pulled out the ID card and handed it to the Captain. He gazed at the card for a long moment.

"What the... What happened to the immunization?" Horton paused, "show me the body."

The two lead the others to the room of their startling discovery and showed the Captain the dead hunter. He knelt and searched it, finding the wallet in the pants pocket. His findings only confirmed it, this man was CEDA.

**End of first chapter, got more coming. Let me know what you think and don't be afraid to be honest. (Please note the vaccine will be explained later on)  
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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Brooding Theories

They found no survivors in the Library. No sign that anyone attempted to barricade themselves inside. They took a small break, planning their next move.

"We should check City Hall and the evac centers." Said Bradley as he leaned on the table. Bradley was a tall man, in fact, all the members of the squad were quite tall. Bradley, however, was the only bald member of the squad. His neatly trimmed moustache was clearly visible since his helmet lay on the table.

"Mercy hospital." remarked Nash.

"That's right." Said Horton, "A hospitals a big place..."

"We're going to sweep the whole building?"

"If that's what it takes, yes. It is our duty to offer what ever assistance we can to survivors."

After resting for a little while longer, they picked up and left the library. The night dragged on over the city as they made their way to the city hall and the hospital stood towering in the distance, a beacon to would-be evacuees.

City hall was not far from their position and it took them little time to reach it. Many infected wandered the streets but the men preferred to evade rather than fight when possible. They approached the building which looked battered badly; there must have been survivors barricaded here at some point. They entered the building cautiously and the interior seemed to mirror the exterior. A court house look pervaded the place, being quite large and the main hall being the biggest of the rooms. The men's suspicions about it were confirmed by the overturned tables and book shelves forming a barricade across the middle of the room; it had been breached. On the opposite side of the barricade was a room to the extreme right and in it lay things needed for survival, namely ammunition and assorted canned foodstuffs. This had been a checkpoint for sojourning survivors now overrun evidently.

"Where is everybody? Isn't there even a single survivor in this city?" exclaimed Nash frustratedly.

"Captain, take a look at this." Said Bradley handing Horton a journal. A large portion was illegible, either having pages torn out or the ink being smudged. There was a small passage that the captain could make out however. He read silently to himself,

_"The infected have found us here. They are breaking through, it's only a matter of time now. Those CEDA agents...they fought so bravely for us. They...they had to cover us as we ran for the building. I'll never know a more courageous bunch of men so long as I live. They were heroes. One of them didn't look so well, perhaps stricken with a cold or some other minor illness. It matters little now for they are at rest, may they rest in well deserved peace."_

"What did it say?" Asked Evans.

"Just details of the breach. Stock up and move out." Replied Horton, tossing the tattered journal aside and walking away. Though he did not show it, or tried not to, something worried him. _How_ were these CEDA agents turning? As they moved about, an unfamiliar voice sounded from behind them,

"Who's that out there?" They turned to face the voice and saw an old gentleman pointing a gun at them. He wasn't retirement age old but his hair was thinning and beginning to turn gray. His clothes, a black coat with brownish pants, were shabby; they hinted at long time estrangement from home.

"Whoa hold on there, we're not infected." Said Horton

"I know...but you are CEDA." He eased his posture slightly, "so they up and left you fellas too, eh?"

"Seems that way. Who are you?"

"Name's Rob." He lowered his pistol and shook the captain's hand, "good to see some living people for a change." Horton nodded and said,

"I'm Horton, these guys are my squad." He introduced them each to Rob, who acknowledged them all with half a wave.

"Were you here when the place was breached?" Asked Horton

"No. Honestly, I just got here myself. I was lookin' for supplies. Didn't see anyone here when I came, no one living anyways." Rob answered, pointing at a room towards the back of the place, "the survivors made their last stand in there...it ain't pretty."

"Were you traveling with anyone before you came here? Do you know where there could be more survivors?"

"'Fraid not." Said Rob as he took a seat in a nearby chair. "I've been alone since the start."  
>"Wow. Guess you didn't move around much huh?"<p>

"You got that right. I ain't lookin' to get myself killed out there. I just go out when I need supplies."

"That won't cut it forever. You can come with us, we're getting out of the city."

Rob thought about it for a second, then shook his head,

"I'll take my chances. I figure I'll just wait this thing out. I don't suppose you fellas will be the last to come through here."

"CEDA left us behind, you said it yourself. Rescues not coming. If you want out, now is your best, maybe your only shot."

"'Preciate the offer but I respectfully decline."

"One last thing; you said that they 'left us too', what did you mean?"

"I've seen other fellas like you around. At first I laid low when I saw em 'cuz...well look at you, all that fancy gear you got on ain't exactly standard issue. They've been at a few of the safe houses offering to escort survivors out of the city."

There was a short pause,

"You don't mind if we stock up on some ammo before we leave, do you?"

"Hey, it's for everyone. Just leave some for me will ya?" Rob chuckled.

They each grabbed a few clips for their weapons and after exchanging goodbyes, the five left the hall.

They were on the move again, this time heading for the hospital. There was mounting evidence pointing to something sinister, but _what?_ All Horton knew was that CEDA was hiding something. As they were moving, they heard gunshots in the distance.

"Take cover!" shouted Horton. It was not the shots that worried him but rather what those shots would attract. They moved quickly to the nearest side of the street and hid under the shadow of a nearby canopy. Soon after they moved, dozens of infected flooded the streets, sprinting towards the sound that signified life; they had found at least one more survivor. Once the undead passed, Horton signaled to follow them to the source of the gunfire. They checked the area to ensure that no infected lingered and, seeing none, they moved out quickly. More gunshots were heard, now louder as the men approached what seemed to be a guard shack. It was not very big and sat in the front of a gate. The flash of the exploding gunpowder lit up the dark, small space of the shack. There seemed to be one survivor, one defending against the onslaught of infected.

"Engage those infected now!" Exclaimed the captain as he shot into the horde of zombies. The others followed suit, firing their weapons in bursts as the infected attempted to break down the door of the shack. The horde was thinning rapidly, but the door wouldn't last much longer. At last it came crashing down and the assailants began attacking the survivor. Moments later, Horton rushed inside and, with his sidearm, killed the remaining infected. The other four soon stood next to their captain. The survivor was badly injured; he was bleeding out. He made some signs with his hands weakly

"What are you trying to say?" Horton said, kneeling down beside the dying man.

"It's sign language..." Said Evans. "He says, 'thank you for trying'."

He made some more signs, his life was fleeting.

"He says, 'end it now...please.' " Evans interpreted forlornly.

Horton nodded reluctantly. He stood and aimed his sidearm at the man,

"I'm sorry." Said the captain as he pulled the trigger. Horton took of his helmet, signs of weariness were seen in his face. Horton's usual short brown hair and neat beard were becoming slightly scraggly; he hadn't had a chance to groom himself in a while, given their current situation. It was a solemn moment for the five. If anyone else was aiding their search for survivors, it sure didn't seem like it. Now on the move again, they continued heading for Mercy hospital.


	3. Chapter 3

**Things are about to take a very interesting turn. I hope you all like it. **

Chapter 3: A Captain's Plight

The hospital was a good distance away from the location of their recent encounter but the men had no problem keeping a brisk pace. They arrived shortly to the hospital which stood very tall with many levels, each seemingly more foreboding than the last. The building looked beaten up, which is to be expected, and the men entered cautiously. They found this to be the norm for each level: long hallways with many rooms with medical beds inside them and a stair case at the far ends of the hallways. Some levels featured branching corridors and those lead to other rooms, a fairly simplistic layout.

As the squad moved through the levels, they were met with surprisingly little resistance; it was an evac center but this was a little too thorough for just regular survivors to have done. They came to a four way intersection on the fifth floor.

"Bradley, Evans, and Reynolds take right. Nash and I will take left. Meet back here." Said Horton. The men carried out the orders and began searching the many rooms in the hallway. The captain came to the last door in the hall and proceeded to slowly open the door and enter.

The room was large, larger than any of the rooms they had previously searched. It looked as though someone had completely ransacked the place, there were overturned tables and paper all about the room; it was a mess. Horton picked up one of the papers and read what seemed to be some sort of research documenting things about tests that CEDA, or one CEDA scientist at least, had conducted on some of their personnel. It also described some failed attempts at the vaccine. Horton read some notes on the back of the paper to himself,

"..._I've ensured that anyone who discovers these necessary deeds, these needed experiments will not live to talk about it. Of course it will mean nothing to non-CEDA survivors, but to those who were given the vaccine, they must not learn of these things. I've come too far and gotten too close to be found out now. I bio engineered the immunization vaccine to mutate if those given it were to learn the truth. Yes, it will change into the virus if this happens. It was an act of sheer brilliance to achieve such a feat. Memory is merely electrical pulses and chemical reactions in the brain. If memories, or knowledge if you will, is detected about this matter in a large quantity, then the vaccine will mutate into the virus..."_

Horton was horrified. He grabbed at the other paper laying around to find that it just gave more evidence of this scientist's evil research. They were just lab rats to this twisted man. He spoke of the "necessary cleansing of the human race", yes indeed he was mad. Suddenly, Horton fell to one knee in agony. The vaccine was mutating! Thoughts of those in his charge, of those who depended on him rushed to mind.

"I cannot change! I must resist." Thought Horton to himself. The pain was intense but he fought it, he fought it with every drop of strength of will that he could muster. Horton managed to resist the change, for now. With some effort, he rose to his feet, the pain still throbbing throughout his body. Horton knew he could not let the others see this, he could not risk having them learn this disturbing truth and face the same fate as he. He gathered all the paper into a heap and set it ablaze. He placed the pile away from any other flammable material but it was best that they finish up here and get out quickly.

Horton exited the room, still in pain. Every second was now a fight to stay in control. He did a good job of hiding it however. Nash and the rest were waiting at the rally point for the return of their captain. Horton rejoined them and they each in turn reported that they found nothing. The five finished sweeping the building and found no living thing there. They then proceeded to exit the large building through the staircase from the top floor. They now, once again, stood on the street in front of the hospital.

"This cities dead. We need to get out of here." Said Horton. "We'll head west for the city border and go from there." They began moving westward to get out of Mercy city. They had checked the places where there may have been survivors and found no one. There was only one thing left to do; get out alive.

As they were moving, they saw a man standing in the middle of the street with his back facing them. Several corpses were laying around him.

"Hold you fire." Horton whispered as they approached him. They saw that the corpses were mutated CEDA agents. When they were about 20 feet from the man, the five stopped and Horton asked,

"Who goes there?" The man have no answer. They moved a little closer and Horton asked again,

"You there! Identify yourself." This time, the man turned slowly to face them. He was also CEDA but he was not infected as the others were. He had a crazed look in his eyes and held a gun at his side.

"I had to kill them, don't you see? They were turning! They would've killed me if I hadn't! There was no other way!" The man said in a semi-shouting voice.

"Alright, calm down. Just calm down and put the gun on the ground." Replied Horton smoothly.

"No! I saw them! They tried to resist it but they couldn't. Something in their blood...something in their head! They couldn't resist." Said the man wildly, looking around at the ground.

"What are you talking about? What couldn't they resist?"

"You know. You look like they did. You know!" The man said, raising his gun and pointing it at Horton.

"What are you doing? Put the gun down!" Shouted the captain. The man refused. Suddenly, he fell backwards, dropping his weapon as he fell. Bradley's rifle was smoking.

"He was daft, captain. He gave me no choice." Said Bradley. Horton just stood and looked for a while. At length, he said,

"I know you did what you had to do. I just wish there was another way." After a brief rest, the five continued moving westward. As they went, Horton wondered how the man knew of his struggle. His words haunted the captain, the phrase, "You look like they did" kept playing over and over in his mind. The man couldn't even see the captain's face; his helmet had been on the entire time. Horton didn't have the answers but he knew that he must not let the infection have dominance over him; he had to master it.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Take Flight

The night seemed to last for an eternity. Maybe the sun didn't rise on this hellish place. Their westward march continued and they were nearing the edge of the city. Many abandoned cars now littered the streets, all these people had the same idea as the five; to get out of the city.

They approached the border and looked out towards the blackness. It was all field and meadow from here. The road which they were on continued into the dark but that was all that continued of the city. Horton knew he could not continue on with them. He was a danger to anyone around him. As long as this virus sought control over him, he was a threat. As the captain thought of how to break it to his men, the ground beneath them began rumbling. It was a light intrusion at first, but it was growing stronger.

"What is that?" Asked Reynolds. The answer came quickly as the ground was now in full upheaval.

"Earthquake!" Shouted the captain. As the earth tossed and bucked violently, it caused the many car alarms to sound. One hundred or more car alarms sounding at once, it must have stretched for miles.

At length, the shaking ceased but the alarms droned on. The five now faced a new threat as the dreadful shriek of thousands of infected filled the air.

"You four need to go now." Said Horton with a calm urgency, gazing towards the open country with an odd serenity as if eminent danger were not lurking in the darkness. His four comrades respected their captain deeply and made no attempt to protest his decision. They realized that he would not be accompanying them further and words failed them. All they could muster was a salute to the unwaning bravery and unselfishness of the man that stood before them; yet, for all the nobility that he exhibited now, the four had no idea how much Horton had sacrificed, now laying down his very life, for the sake of others. His demeanor remained noble to this end, he did not for one instant give the illusion of lost hope. Horton just looked at them and although they could not see his face, they knew his expression of acknowledgment.

The four reluctantly left their captain and ventured out of the city with haste. Horton calmly turned to face the army of infected that was now converging on his position. He removed the silencer from his rifle and, slipping it into one of his vest pockets, prepared to meet the horde.

The multitude of infected came sprinting out of the darkness towards Horton, who proceeded to open fire upon them. With a dazzling display of marksmanship and dexterity, the captain killed many of them without wasting a single round and changed the empty magazines with astonishing speed. Horton did not fear death, it would release him from waring against the virus that resided inside him but that didn't mean he would go down easy.

The wall of assailants drew close; Horton fought valiantly against them but an entire city waged war with one man, even the mighty Horton could not hold the line. The infected pushed forward like a wave surging forth and crashing upon the rocks. Horton was overrun. They left his body there lifeless. Peace was upon him however, his body remained undefiled by the virus, he would not become a walking corpse as so many others had.

**I know this chapters a bit short, the story is coming to a close soon. Hope you enjoy it.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Hope Rekindled

The street previously filled with infected was now empty and an eerie silence was upon it. The captain, presumed to be dead, began to stir.

Horton awoke from his deathly sleep. A fog of confusion clouded his frazzled thoughts as he looked around. Suddenly, a voice came from behind him.

"Need a hand?" Horton looked quickly to see Rob standing there with his hand outstretched.

"Rob? What are you doing here?" Asked Horton, being aided to his feet by the old man.

"Oh, just out for a midnight stroll." Replied Rob. "Come on, let's get out of here." Horton nodded and kneeled down to take up his rifle before proceeding to follow Rob.

Their short journey brought them to what looked to be an abandoned liquor store. They entered the run down place, which surprisingly still had some of its shelves stocked. They entered the back room and sat down.

The room was small, slightly larger than a closet with a desk to the wall on the right extended to the left. Rob took a seat behind this desk and Horton sat to Rob's right.

"Rob...how am I still alive?" Asked Horton, leaning forward and removing his helmet.

"You sound disappointed, captain. I think the better question is, how did you resist the change?" Replied Rob, gazing intently at Horton. He shot an alarmed look at Rob.

"You knew?" Asked Horton.

"Yeah I knew. I've been to the third floor of Mercy hospital a few times." Answered Rob as he reclined in his chair, still gazing at the captain. "That's some secret you've been carryin' around."

"No kidding."

"As you know, I never received the vaccine, so I poured over all the research. Some pretty interestin' stuff, minus all the mutating virus and whatnot."

"Yeah." Said Horton, seemingly relieved to know that he no longer carried the burden alone. "What can you tell me about it?"

"Well, I'm no biologist but I'll try to explain it as best I can. What the good doctor injected you with was, in fact, a vaccine to keep you from turnin'. Mixed in with that was a dormant virus, or the virus, I should say."  
>"So, it never really mutated then."<p>

"That's right. I'm not sure how he did it but when you learned of his secret research, the virus became active and began attacking your cells, hence the intense pain you were feelin'. The thing is, the virus can't survive unless it takes over the host."

"And I was resisting. Sounds more like a parasite than a virus to me."

"Well, some viruses have been known to change into a symbiotic organism if there is a need. It needed to change in order to survive."

"So, what does that mean? What does it do?"

"Seeing as how you're still alive after gettin' torn up by those infected, I'd say it heals you somehow."  
>"Heals me? What do you mean?"<p>

"I've never heard of a symbiotic organism healing the host so fast, much less at all but this is no ordinary virus, is it?"

Horton nodded in agreement and gestured for Rob to continue.

"I don't know how it happens or what the 'damage limit' shall we say, is for you not to recover. You were left pretty bad back there though. If I didn't know better, I'd say that you can't die."

Horton looked a bit surprised at the notion of immortality.

"So you really think that I can't die?"

"Well I wouldn't go around testin' it, but yeah. Who can say how long this thing will be on your side, it may turn on you at some point."

"I better start putting it to good use then, shouldn't I?"

"What are you planning to do?"  
>Horton smiled slightly, "my part." He replied.<p>

Horton got up and, after donning his helmet, proceeded to collect his things.

"We should stay in touch." Said Rob, grabbing a radio on the table, "I'll set it to your frequency." He also handed Horton a spare radio battery. "I found a few of these along with a charger for them."

Horton stopped and looked at Rob for a second.

"It's a long story." Said rob, answering Rob's inquiring gaze. Rob also tossed him some provisions in a small pouch.

"You may be unable to die but you still gotta eat."

"Right. Thanks." Replied Horton.

"I'll let you know if I find any checkpoints or places with provisions. I'm not gonna be movin' around a whole lot but you can come back here if you find yourself in need of supplies."  
>"Will do. Well I have what I need now. Thanks for everything, Rob."<p>

Rob nodded and, after the two shook hands, Horton departed.


End file.
